In about another month we will be moving, YET AGAIN. But this will (hopefully) be the 2nd to the last time we move. Since Todd and I have been married (coming up on 8 years) we have lived in 5 places cumulatively. His apartment, my apartment, 2 owned homes and 1 rental house. The rental house is where we are currently. When we moved in here a year ago we thought it would be more temporary than it has become. We thought that we would be out before Thanksgiving. But fall came and went and yet we are still here.

We had a plan to buy some land from my Grandma. We were going to buy the farm where my mom has lived all her life. She would stay and we would also build there. But due to my aunt not wanting to sell to us, our plans had to change. This was and still is a very frustrating situation. We had spent years and a good chunk of money planning on that piece of property being our forever home. Up until it was time to sign some papers we never heard that it may not be a possibility for us to live there. We had started Kermit in the school district that we *thought* we would be in by Thanksgiving. I was driving him to and from the bus stop. The bus stop being my Grandma’s house and it’s a half an hour one way from our rental house. We considered this a minor inconvenience. It will only be a few months of driving him we thought. Oh NO, NO. So, we had to move on, in our minds and literally from that 40 acres.

In early January we ran in to an acquaintance in town and we did some catching up. He said he had a piece of property that may suit us. We said our main concern was that we could build on it right away. If we were moving to the area, we needed a roof over our head. He said yes, we could build. So we went to look at it, did some discussing and then decided to sign a PA. Around the time of closing, we were talking to him about our plans and he said No we couldn’t build there. He had bought the property on a contract for deed and was selling it to us on a contract for deed. But the lady who still ‘techinically’ owned it said we couldn’t build until it was paid off. This put a massive monkey wrench in our plans. What good would this 20 acres be if we couldn’t build a house there? So plans on that piece came to a screeching halt.

Back to square one. We are still living in the rental with no good options as to where to go. It’s now (in my story) the end of March. There is one property that is a slight possibility and it seems like a long shot, but hey, what have we got to lose?! So Todd makes a phone call to his cousin, Donald. Donald says, why yes they are considering selling the farm. It has become time since his dad’s passing and even though it is bitter-sweet, let’s have a discussion about us (family) buying the farm. So we sat down with them a few times, hashed out some details and lo and behold, we will soon be the owners of the farm!!

This farm is the one that before Todd and I were married we drove by a few times and Todd had always said, I’d like to live there someday. Look at the shed and the nice lot with the house up on a hill. What are the odds that all these years later we would actually buy it? It doesn’t hurt that Donald’s dad and our son, Green share a name, Atler. I guess there has been an Atler on that farm since 1914 (or some year close to that). Fate.

I’m excited actually to live in this old house. I grew up in an old house and have lived in 2 very nice brand new homes. Two homes that we build from the ground up. And remember earlier when I said this would hopefully be the 2nd the last time we move. We are planning on building a new house on the property, but in a few years. In the meantime we will live in the old farm-house. My excitement comes from the fact that it’s an old house. It has some character to work with but mostly I get to try some stuff out. Since it’s not brand new I feel like I can experiment some. I want to paint chalkboard paint on the walls and hang up pictures. I get to decorate and mess it up a bit. And if I go to far, well we’ll be moving out eventually and probably knocking it over so WHO CARES! I get to paint obnoxiously bright colors if I want and pound lots of holes in the walls. I can tile or do whatever it is that I want. I’m excited!! For the last few years we have been living a pretty boring existence. We were in the process of selling our 2nd house for almost a year. Which means that we didn’t really have much personality in that house. There wasn’t much on the walls, as to not distract potential buyers. And then when we moved in here (the rental) we weren’t staying long so why decorate or hang anything up. Plus we didn’t want to have to go around fixing nail holes before we moved out. So FINALLY I get to take out some of the stuff that’s been in storage for a few years and hang it up, put it out, decorate it, accessorize it, LOVE it!!!

Now first things first, since we’ll be painting before we move in, I’d better get on picking out those obnoxious colors! Keep your fingers crossed that come July 1st, we will be Farmers!

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It needs a little TLC. The bathroom will be the only major overhaul, if we decide to do it at all. It’s VERY small (the 2 pictures are ACTUAL size.) Other than that it needs some paint, which I’m working on picking out colors and it needs some new flooring which we are going to do for as cheap as possible considering we won’t be there long (hopefully). We are thinking 2 years before we start building and probably no more than 5 years before we move from Old Farm House to New Farm House. Once the renter moves his stuff out and the family goes through the last of their things there, we are home free, er wait, it’s not free, we are home payment? That doesn’t have the same ring to it. How ’bout this….. We are Home Sweet Home!

A little over a month ago, before Easter Kermit had Visitor Day at school. A few weeks before the actual day they sent home a slip asking if and who would be joining the child at school for this special occasion. They would be making puppets. I asked Kermit who he wanted to join him. He picked me! In December, they had visitor day and he wanted Gammpa to go with him. :( But this time it was me! YEAH!! So I filled out the slip and returned it. I marked in on the calendar and arranged for a babysitter for Pink and Green. This was no small feat to be able to spend an hour or so alone with him. He and I were very much looking forward to it.

The day arrives and I dropped him off at school and then went to visit my sister. We were leaving for North Dakota in a few days and I needed my suitcase back and some clothes. Pink, Green and I spent most of the morning hanging out with Auntie and Uncle Kiss. Eventually we left and headed for home. When we got there, Pink watched some TV and Green took a nap. I did some laundry and some cleaning. Mostly just puttering around the house until it was time to go get Kermit.

My phone rang with the sitters name. I though that’s weird, Why is Sharon calling…… O.M.G!!!! VISITOR DAY!!!! As quick as I could I threw everyone in the car and headed for school. I called Sharon back and said we are on our way, but knew by the time I got to school it would be almost over. (We live 45 minutes from where Kermit attends school.) But I had to try. I raced to Foley, basically threw them out the door with barely a stop and headed for the Elementary. I walked in just in time to see him take a picture of his FINISHED puppet.

There were tears… ALL of them mine. How could I forget about it? It was so important to him. Why had I not put it in my phone? Why didn’t I look at the calendar? Why was a doing laundry instead of helping him make a puppet? How could I forget about HIM? My mothering was at an all time low that day. He gets pushed aside all the time, wait for this, wait for that, wait, wait, WAIT!

So…. to make a long story longer when he came home with a field trip permission slip and volunteers for chaperone, I WAS IN! This one I was NOT going to forget about. My dad said he would watch the younger 2 and we could have a date my oldest and I. We left home EXTRA early that morning. We had to drop Pink and Green off in Ramsey.

We made it to school and I told him that I owed him. I felt bad/still feel bad about the visitor day fiasco. It will go down in mom history as one of my lowest moments. But today, TODAY was for making up, making amends. Today was about the 2 of us and our special day at the Farm. We were visiting Nelson Farm in Litchfield. Today we would hold hands, and baby chicks and sandwiches.

Ed Note: There are about 10 more pictures that I’m having an issue with rotating. It keeps telling me it won’t save them. GRRR.

We had a ball!! I was in charge of Kermit and Ethan. They were very good for me all day. Wild at times, but that’s to be expected on a farm, with fresh air, and new things to look at. Actually, if I’m being honest, Kermit was the wilder of the 2. At one point Ethan was standing next to me while Kermit ran around in circles. I finally had to tell him, it’s okay, you can go play…. and away he went.

Picnic lunch on a blanket, a hay ride through the field, calves, baby chicks, goats, pigs… who could ask for more!

It was so nice spending time alone with Kermit. It’s been awhile since it’s been just me and him. I think he enjoyed it too. I’m going to have to make him more of a priority. He’s growing up SO FAST, as pointed out to me by the “this is the last newsletter you will get from kindergarten” newsletter. I choked up. It honestly seems like last week Todd and I were a blubbering mess getting him on the bus for the first time and now he’s graduating kindergarten already. So much has happened since then, yet how can it feel like just yesterday. Oh how cliché, but it’s true.

I will miss these days with him, and my time is spread so thin I’m missing that much more each day. I owe it to him and myself to soak it up

This face is the one I wake up to come and snuggle with his brother and I. It is the one that tells me I’m beautiful. It breaks my heart when it says, “I don’t need to stay by your forever, right mom?”

This face is my first-born and stole my heart. He is my trial and error and hopefully I get it mostly right. This is face is the one I lose my patience with and try harder next time and next time and next time. This face is the one that READS to me, because you learn that stuff in Kindergarten.

This face asks me “how many more bites” every.single.night. at dinner. I love this face because it looks exactly like his dad. This face has 2 cowlicks that when we go too long between hair cuts, it grows “horns”. This face is my snuggle bunny and my sidekick. He asks for treats every.single.time.

2 weekends ago, we went to Kermit’s first wrestling match. He’s been practicing for about a month (Monday night’s only) with Daddy and a bunch of other kids his age. The town where he goes to school is sort of known for its wrestling program. Todd and I both grew up there. He a wrestler and I a cheerleader. We had been looking forward to this day since about a week after he was born. I couldn’t have been more excited and nervous. When we talked about which tournament to go to there was one about 5 minutes from our house, where probably none of his friends would be. Or there was the one about 45 minutes from our house where probably all of his friends would be. Since it’s for fun at this age, they don’t travel to tournaments as a team, it’s “go if you want” tournaments. I really, really wanted to take him to the one where none of his friends would be. Reason #1: I wouldn’t run in to any of the other parents. I had this fear that he wouldn’t do well. Comparing him to some of our friends’ children who had recently done very well at a tournament, it didn’t want to see him lose and have our friends see him lose. TERRIBLE, I know. I don’t know why I was so worried about him winning and not losing. This makes me a more competitive parent that I knew I was. This makes me THAT Stage Mom, “Perform dancing monkey and don’t disappoint me!!” I couldn’t believe I was having these thoughts/feelings. Todd on the other hand wanted to take him to the one that was farther away, where all of his friends would be. He thought it would be more fun. He was right, and in the end that was one we took him too, especially since I never mentioned my irrational thoughts to my husband. He would have called me crazy. Reason #2 for wanting to go to the closer/friendless tournament: I’d get to sleep in a little and not have to drag the whole family out of the house by 7 am. Still we ended up going to the farther/friend filled tournament.

We dropped the boys off to weigh in (he weighed in at 44.4 lbs) and Pink, Green and I went looking for coffee and an ATM. This was a terribly long errand. Should have been 5 minutes into town, instead we had to drive to the other end of the world. We should have been gone 15 minutes, instead it was pushing an hour. Lucky for us, Todd is never late, always early and we didn’t miss anything. We got back and unloaded and made our way inside.

There was plenty of down time. We of course ran into a bunch of people we know and thankfully I learned a bit about how to be a wrestling mom. I talked to a few parents and they all talked about how their kids had *GASP* lost a time or 2. How some of their kids backed out and not wanted to wrestle, how they would cry (as I was sure Kermit would) and how they tried to get them to get back on the horse/mat! I don’t know why I kept having this feeling that he should have it all figured out already. I don’t really remember the days of when my brother was that little (especially since I’m 2 years younger than him) and he would go to these tournaments. The last match I had been to was a highschool one. It was probably the one when our town wrestled the rival town and 2000 fans would pack the gym and cheer for their team. These guys were GOOD. They knew how to wrestle. They knew their moves, knew what to expect was coming at them and knew how to win. I kept forgetting that he was only in Kindergarten and has 8 years or so to get it figured out. Then again, if he doesn’t want to wrestle all they way to highschool, I guess that’s ok too. But since we had been building this day up in my mind for the last 5+ years, I was sure I was sure I knew exactly how it would go.

His first match was tough. The kid had an older brother who had no doubt spent plenty of time coach/wrestling/beating on the younger brother. He really knew his moves and was good.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well Kermit kept up to him. He was always wrestling from behind in points but he never stopped fighting. Since he was new to this whole “Live Wrestling”, he really wasn’t sure what to do. This kid was attacking him and he was always on the defense. I, like a crazy person, was yelling things from mat side. Todd, stood back and watched. He leaned on the wall about 10 feet behind me. I kept motioning for him to come over and ‘coach’ but he wouldn’t at first. He’s not that guy. But I am, and whatever I would yell, Kermit would do. He needed some help. He needed to know we were there and that we would give him advice. After the first period, Todd came mat side and coached him through the next period. During the 2nd period, he got hurt and started crying. I nearly had to scoop him up and run him to safety. But what kind of mom would I be if I did that. I told him it was ok and get back out there. The kid pushed his head in to the mat (as will happen a million more times) and it hurt him. I’d say it was more scary and surprising than hurtful. He ended up losing to this kid. He was a good sport about it but definitely hurt his pride. He sat on Todd’s lap and whimpered. He didn’t want to go back out. He didn’t want to wrestle again.

It took Todd the whole next match to convince him to give it another shot. I don’t even know what he said to him, what sage fatherly advice was passed down, but it worked. He decided to give it another shot. His second match went much better. He was much better matched, as far as skill goes, to this kid. They were back and forth with points and in the end Kermit did a reversal and won! WHOO HOO!!

His third match went so quickly I nearly missed it because I was feeding Green. It lasted probably less than a minute and he was pinned. But he really didn’t care about that loss. He has WON ONE!! He ended up taking 3rd over all in his bracket and got a medal (here’s a little secret, they all got medals, except for those who took 1st, they got a bobble head wrestler).

He did so much better than I gave him credit for. He handled his loss about the way I expected, but he wrestled like a champ and got back up to do it again. He got a taste for what it’s like to wrestle at a tournament. He was bummed the didn’t get the bobble head and now we had something for him to strive for. Something for him to work towards. He wanted that 1st place whatever it was. He talked about it many times since that Saturday.

Here is one excited 3rd placer!! He was jacked to get the medal and show it off to everyone. On our way out of the bracketing room, the family of the first boy he lost to was walking beside us. The older brother tapped him on the shoulder and said “Good job Buddy. You wrestled really good.” WOW. I couldn’t believe the sportsmanship. I asked his mom (wasn’t sure he was from their family) if tha was her boy and she said yes. I praised her for the great job she did raising them and their incredible sportsmanship. I was blown away.

I was glad we had gone to the tournament with the people we knew. It started his wrestling career (can I call it that?) off to a good, team spirited start, for him and I both. These will be the parents and kids we spend the next 12 years wrestling with, why wouldn’t we all be there in the beginning together?

I couldn’t be more proud of him. He really showed me that he is a lot older than I give him credit for, but then again kids always are. GREAT JOB KERMIT!!! Mommy and Daddy are so proud you are our boy!

This Face….. I can’t live without this face. She is my clone, my heart, my love. Staying home with her everyday is the greatest gift my husband could have ever given me. I had NO idea what I was in for, or what I was missing.

This face…. I love this face! (And not just because it looks like mine!)

Figure out how to change my header. The program I used to create the one I had, was wiped out when our laptop crashed. and I have NO idea where the disk is to reinstall it. Buy a new (same) one, or a different program? That one was ok to use, but feel like maybe I could find a better one, but how much do I want to spend?? Decisions, Decisions……

Blog more (DUH!)

Follow the ideas of the Blog a Week– When I sit down to write I draw a blank. But all during the day I think, I could blog this or that, then time to write and NOTHING.

Post more pictures/videos. I intended this blog to be a journal of sorts to keep track of and remember the stuff the kids did or said. So far I could be doing much better than I am.

Write more notes, so when I do sit down to blog, I have some back up to use for ideas.

Adding Number 3 to the bunch has been challenging yet fantastic. It’s an adjustment to get used to chasing after all 3, but we are getting there.

Finding time to do anything is a fun new challenge. Like finding time to shower, or do laundry, or sometimes even eat or drink something. I can not for the life of me remember to take any of the pills I should be taking and they sit next to me during the day. The iron pill and prenatal vitamin or even the ibuprofen that helps with pain….. can’t remember to pop any of them in my mouth.

It’s a real fun change to have Pink and Kermit getting up at 5 am. Pink wakes up and comes down most days between 5 and 6 am. She snuggles in and lays by me to watch toons, but yells at Green when he is in her spot (he’s in her spot because I’m nursing him). Kermit gets up and sometimes comes down to sit by us (all 4 of us on the couch) or sometimes he goes to lay with daddy. Eventually we will get back into a routine, and that is coming up fast as daddy will be going back to work soon and then it’s just me and the Team.

I’m sure you’re wondering (ok maybe not, does anyone read this?) why I’m sleeping on the couch, well it’s because of the C-section. After Kermit, I slept in our bed with him in a Moses basket next to me and daddy on the couch. After Pink we all slept in the bed together. Between Kermit and Pink we upgraded from a queen to a California King. With her I had no problem getting up (from laying to sitting) to feed her at night. With Green, the first night was awful. I barely slept and had a hard time feeding him. Half way through the night, I ended up down on the couch in the living room sleeping, half sitting up and half laying down. It’s been perfect. I am moving around much better after 3 weeks and will eventually end up back upstairs in bed.

Most of the adjustment comes in just taking care of a newborn again. Adding number 3 to the group wasn’t so much what threw off our routine as much as a needy newborn. As soon as everyone is ready to leave the house, Green needs to eat, or be changed, or burped. When everyone else is eating dinner, I have to feed, or change or burp him.

We are getting there though, and it’s been such a fantastic last 3 weeks. Can’t wait for the next 1000+.

Blog EVERYDAY. Yes, I realize that it is the 7th of January already and this is my first post. That is not lost on me. Blah Blah Blah Busy Busy Busy… New Baby, 2 kids, ect. ect ect…..

Cook more from cook books. I guess with this I should be a bit more specific, as in once a week or twice a month cook from a cook book. I think we’ll go with the later, twice a month cook a recipe from a cook book. We eat the same old, same old all the time. So it’s time to spice (ha ha ha pun intended) it up a bit and eat something new.

Make idea files for our new house. Cut out pictures and ideas from the 20-30 magazines I’ve been saving. Then throw away the magazines. DONE Jan.15, 2011

Take more pictures and videos. This should be slightly easier since I got a new Bloggie for Christmas. So far I LOVE it.

Organize and file church paperwork. DONE Jan 13, 2011

Organize and file Business paperwork.

Name label all of our movies and Wii games.

Make a 2010 photo book. Every year I make a photo book of the kids for our families. This year, between Todd being gone so much, commuting Kermit to and from school, being SUPER pregnant and delivering 3 weeks early I just didn’t get around to making 2010’s. I’d still like to make one and my goal is to have it done by the end of February.

Upload all my photos to online backup. Including Aunties from her external hard drive, our desktop and my camera.

This is the year of Get Our Lives Organized. We are hopefully moving in the next few months (if all goes well) and I’d like for it to go much more smoothly than the last time we moved. I/we procrastinated something fierce. We were packing boxes as our help stood around and waited for them to be filled. I’d like to sort through our stuff some more and know exactly what needs to be moved to use and what goes into storage. Also, I’m sure there is some stuff we can live with out and can get rid of.

I’d like to start working towards the mom I’d like to be and am not… yet. This time next year, I want to be a much more organized and relaxed mom. I don’t like operating in Reaction mode. I feel much better when I am in Proactive mode. I’m calmer, more patient, nicer to the kids. With 3 I have to up my game and can’t always be rushing around. It’s not fair to them, when I get busy I take it out on them.

Here’s to a year of hard work, to be a better person. To be the person/mom I’d like to be. The mom I always pictured myself as. To have the fairly clean house, fairly organized, to have time for fun because the work is done.

Tangent… on Grey’s wedding tonight, why did they give Bailey such a yucky, old looking dress? She’s so cute. End Tangent

Today Pink and I had a wonderful day in the rain. We went to the post office where I ran in to someone I know (definitely not a friend), he works for my father in law. He is a crabby old man, Mr. Negative. I was getting the mail and he says to me (mind you other people are standing there, someone he was talking to) “I see your waddling again.”

I said “No more than you.”

“You should sleep with your legs closed.”

As I was walking away, “You’re disgusting Chuck.”

Seriously, who says that shit to someone. Couldn’t mutter out a Congrats instead?! Un-F*ucking-believable. That may be the last time I exchange word with him. It’s a waste of my breath and energy to even respond to him. UGH!

Then we went home and Pink actually took a nap today. Everyday this week she has fallen asleep in the car on the way home, about 20 mins, then I carry her upstairs (which is getting harder and harder, since I, and her, are getting bigger and bigger) and she will sleep for maybe another 20 mins and then off to the races again. But today, oh, glorious today, she slept for probably close to 2.5 hours. I think she really needed to catch up. We’ve been getting up early lately.

I got some work done for Todd. And about the time she work up, I was ready for a nap. But no rest for the wicked. So we played a little and watched Babe. Then off to the bank, and another post office. When we left home it was raining pretty steady. At the bank, it hadn’t let up much. All I had to do was make a deposit, but since I didn’t know the account number I wanted to go inside. Thought I’d leave Pink in the truck for a few minutes instead of dragging her out in the rain. But she insisted on going in. UGH, that means I have to unbuckle and re-buckle her while standing in the rain. But, since being the best mom I can be and having more patience is my new full-time gig…. I let her come in. Plus a little rain never hurt anyone right?! So we ran inside, she was wet, but happy. She got a “gicker” (sticker), it had a “orsey” (horsey, My Little Pony) on it. We had to run back out in to the rain, but lucky for us, we were wearing our matching pink rain boots.

We then went to the post office to mail some stuff to daddy. The most important part was Kermit’s school picture! We got them yesterday. He is so handsome.

After all our errands, we went to pick up Mermit. I picked raspberries in the rain. Somewhere along the lines, I became a die-hard farmer. Who does crap like that in the rain? Usually NOT me. But it was worth it. We brought some home to freeze.

Kermit fell asleep on the way home and Pink was close, but since she actually had a nap today, she didn’t. Kermit woke up from his nap in melt down mode. He cried on and off for about an hour. He just couldn’t snap out of it. Cartoons and some juice finally fixed it.

The kiddles got to talk to daddy a couple of times today, which was nice. Pink even brings the phone to me saying Daddy, Daddy, Daddy wondering why he’s not talking back.

And now after some quality TV time with Grey’s and Private Practice, I am ready for bed.

Day 4 of Retirement and I am happy as ever to get to spend so much time with Thing 1 and Thing 2.